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  Passing the Puck
Thirty years after he played on
Colby's 1965-66 ECAC Division II championship ice hockey team, Paul Cronin '67,
was back in Alfond Arena on December 9, this time watching his son, Brian '96,
skate for the White Mules.
Paul has seen almost all of his son's Colby games, but none matched the
Bowdoin game for paternal pride. Before a crowd of nearly 2,000 and with just
1:19 left in regulation play, Brian scored to give Colby a 2-1 victory.
Later, inside the locker room, Paul watched as a reporter interviewed Brian,
whose face was still flushed from the victory and the ensuing pandemonium. It
was a familiar scene for Paul, though he wasn't in the limelight this time.
For Paul, who earlier in the Bowdoin game joined his former teammates on the
ice for a commemorative ceremony, recalling the championship game evokes not
only nostalgia but a sense of perspective. "It was the greatest. After beating
Merrimack 5-0, we went to the Fenway Maine, a [Waterville] hotel where Ho-Jo's
is now. All the parents and significant others were staying there, and they had
all the rooms in one corridor. We had the clean-cut celebration any team would
have after a long season and winning the ECAC Division II championship," he
said. "But the thing that makes it special for me now is realizing that when my
parents came to the championship game, they were younger than I am today as I
watch Brian play." Paul, a history teacher at Revere High School in Revere,
Mass., coached high school hockey for 10 years and refereed both high school
and college hockey for 20. But he says he never compelled Brian to play. "Brian
latched onto hockey when he was four years old. I was delighted Brian was
playing youth hockey, but I didn't get too involved--I saw too many
well-meaning people with the youth-hockey-parent syndrome," he said. "I just
wanted him to have fun. I knew there was time to get serious about hockey later
in high school and college."
Brian, a Dean's List economics major and a Mules co-captain, agrees that he
wasn't pushed into hockey or into attending Colby, but he does recall hearing
stories about the championship season. He says he feels no pressure to uphold a
championship legacy. "It would be great to win a championship as his son and as
captain, but I won't let it distract the team from the job we've got to do,"
Brian said.
"I'm conscious of his presence at games, but he's not overly vocal," Brian
said of his father. "He doesn't criticize, but he lets me know how I skated
after the game."
"It's every father's dream that his son will attend his alma mater and play
the same sport," said Paul. There are limits to the historical parallel between
father and son, though. When asked why he chose to major in economics rather
than follow Paul's lead and study history, Brian said, "It doesn't go that
far."
Mules Out Kick Foes
The women's soccer team ended the season with a 10-4-3 record and its first
appearance in the ECAC tournament since 1984. Seeded second, the White Mules
defeated Gordon College in the first round and Connecticut College in the
semi-finals before yielding to Plymouth State, 2-1, in the finals.
The White Mules set several records. Senior tri-captain Sarah Eustis
(Waterville, Maine) ended the season second in career assists with 15. Forward
Shannon Tracy '97 (Old Bridge, N.J.) tied the record for most assists in a
season with six and currently ranks fourth in career points with 18 goals and
10 assists. Goalie Heather Garni '99 (Wellesley, Mass.) broke the record for
most shutouts in a a season with 7.5 and tied the record for most consecutive
shutouts with three.
Several team records also were broken this season, including number of wins,
fewest losses, most goals in a season (48), fewest goals allowed (14) and most
shutouts (8).
The White Mules look forward to another strong season in 1996, says head coach
Jen Holsten, led by tri-captains Kara Marchant '97 (Lakeville, Conn.), Jennifer
Lawrence '97 (Piedmont, Calif) and Cathy Neuger '97 (Princeton, N.J.).
A Winning Way
Head coach Tom Austin surpassed Ed Roundy as the Colby football coach with the
most wins (39), and the White Mules garnered a share of the CBB Championship
for the eighth consecutive year during a 5-3 season.
The team kicked off the season with a 14-11 victory over Trinity, avenging
last year's season-opening loss to the Bantams--Colby's only loss in 1994. But
injuries to key players, including Brad Smith '96 (N. Bridgton, Maine), Jason
Jabar '96 (Waterville, Maine), Lawaun Curry '97 (Roxbury, Mass.) and Peter
Matson '97 (Westborough, Mass.) left the White Mules at less than full strength
for many games.
Six players were named to the All-NESCAC team, including Jabar, Brett Nardini
'96 (Scituate, Mass.), Greg Forger '97 (Canton, Mass.), Jerrod DeShaw '97
(Burlington, Vt.), Kevin Pirani '96 (Stoneham, Mass.) and Tom Beedy '97
(Livermore Falls, Maine).
Ranked second among Division III New England schools, the women's tennis
team ended the season with a 7-1 record and a third-place finish at the New
England tournament. Colby's top player, Kim Chea '99 (Pinang, Malaysia),
won the Maine singles championship en route to a 15-3 season. Number two player
Jessie Anderson '98 (Norwell, Mass.) repeated as Maine doubles champion
with partner Heidi Tyng '99 (East Orleans, Mass.). Anderson also won the
second singles flight at the New England Championships without dropping a set
and finished the season 16-2. . . . Facing a tough schedule
this fall, the field hockey team was 5-9, although four opponents
escaped with overtime victories. Season highlights included a 1-0 victory over
Trinity, ranked third in the NCAA Division III Northeast poll at the time, and
a 0-1 loss to Williams, ranked first in the same poll throughout the
season. . . . Men's soccer finished the season with
a 6-8 record but captured the CBB title with a 1-0 win at Bowdoin and a 4-2
victory over Bates on Family Weekend. Forward Marc Small '96 (Acton,
Mass.) and midfielder Tyler Walker '96 (Hampton, N.H.) were selected to
the Maine College Senior Soccer All-Star NCAA team. Head coach Mark
Serdjenian '73 was selected by his Maine coaching peers to lead the NCAA
team. . . . Upsetting Tufts and Brandeis and running only
11 points behind fourth-seeded Middlebury, the women's cross country
team finished in sixth place at the New England Championships. Elizabeth
Fagan '97 garnered several honors, including state champion, All-NESCAC
second team and All-New England Division III. Farrell Burns '98
(Clinton, N.Y.) and Sarah Nadeau '99 (Grahamsville, N.Y.) also were
named All-New England. . . . The golf team, led by
Eben Dorros '96 (Milwaukee, Wis.), won the Sid Farr Invitational
Tournament with a 77. Todd Guilfoyle '96 (Marshfield, Mass.) won the CBB
tournament with a 79. . . . Men's cross country
runner Pat Fournier '98 (Bellows Falls, Vt.) beat 88 competitors to
finish third in the State of Maine Collegiate Cross Country
Championships. . . . In its third season as a varsity team,
Colby crew ended its season with impressive finishes at the Frostbite
Regatta in Philadelphia. The men's novice eight and the women's varsity
lightweight boats finished in third place, though the women rowed to within a
boat-length of the winner. The women's novice boat won its heat and rowed to
second place overall. . . . The volleyball team
ended its fifth season of varsity status with a second-place finish at the
NESCAC tournament and a surprise ECAC tournament berth. Sophomore Teresa
Tiangha (Redondo Beach, Calif.) topped Colby's single-season assist record
with 564 and leads in career assists with 898. After the NESCAC tournament on
November 3-4, Jackie Bates '98 (Spokane, Wash.) was named All-NESCAC
first team and Anna Thomson '97 (Aspen, Colo.) was named All-NESCAC
second team.
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In some ways basketball marvel Matt Hancock '90 never left the hardwood.
Hancock, co-winner of the Division III Male Athlete of the Year award as a
senior and the fifth-leading scorer in Division III history with 2,678 points,
is now executive vice-president and director of saw mill operations at Hancock
Lumber Company in Casco, Maine. Along with his brother, Kevin, Hancock
represents the sixth generation to work in the family's 140-year-old
business.
After tryouts with the Boston Celtics and the Golden State Warriors, Hancock
was offered a chance to play with the Continental Basketball Association's
Albany Patroons. He chose instead to play the 1990-91 season for High Five
America, a California-based professional exhibition team of former NBA and CBA
players committed to raising awareness about substance abuse.
Hancock now resides in Casco with his wife, Tracy, and coaches girls varsity
basketball at Lake Region High School in nearby Bridgton, where, as a player,
he led the boys team to a Class B state championship in 1985.
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Mule Train
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